The evolutionary genetics of adaptation in species with separate sexes

The proposed projects provide new theory and analysis methods for studying the genetic basis of female and male fitness, leading to new insights into the evolutionary, genetic and demographic mechanisms that influence evolutionary genetic diversity within populations. The work will reveal how sex differences in selection affect adaptation, and provide a framework for predicting whether populations with separate sexes are able to persist under changing environmental conditions. By developing a rigorous theoretical foundation for sex-specific
adaptation – including genome inference methods that follow logically from the theory – the proposal will define new approaches for studying evolutionary processes in the natural populations.